A wind farm is being proposed for a site 40 kilometres northwest of Campbell River in the Strathcona Regional District.
The Brewster Wind Project would aim to have a capacity of up to 200 megawatts and about 30 wind turbines. The project would also include a project substation, access roads, an interconnection transmission line and ancillary equipment. It would operate for 30 years.
In a letter to the regional district submitted in August, Andrea Kausel, vice president of development at Capstone Infrastructure, said the company is reaching out to the regional district to provide a preliminary notice and begin early-stage consultation.
According to a map of the region submitted by the company, the towers would be erected in two clusters southwest of Sayward.
The letter states a 15 per cent increase in electricity demand by 2030 requires new resources. The 2024 Call for Power by BC Hydro aims to contract the lowest-cost projects that provide maximum value to the grid and rate-payers.
Last month, the regional district advised the company to contact caving and paleontology experts, such as those at the British Columbia Paleontological Alliance and Royal B.C. Museum for their initial research, as the region is known for unique cave formations.
At a Sept. 25 district meeting, Martin Davis, who is a director with SRD and cave researcher, said it's important to identify stakeholders early in the process to assess the feasibility of the proposal in the area. Davis said limestone can make the land "inherently unstable," which is what happened with a wind farm proposal several years ago near Port Alice, which also faced environmental challenges.
On its website, the Toronto-based company addresses the potential effects of wind farms on wildlife, acknowledging that, as large-scale infrastructure projects, these farms can pose risks to wildlife. It goes on to say that impacts can be evaluated in the early planning stages. While birds and bats are particularly at risk, careful siting and design of the turbines, along with in-depth field surveys, can help quantify, avoid, or mitigate the impacts to an acceptable level.
Capstone Infrastructure has proposed an additional 35-turbine wind farm for land between Kamloops and Merritt, B.C. in the Thompson-Nicola Regional District. The company also operates power facilities across Canada, including a 16-megawatt hydro power station in Sechelt.
Proposals were due in September and BC Hydro will award the agreements in December. New projects are set to launch between 2028 and 2031, according to the company.
If the proposal is successful, the Brewster Wind Project will require an environmental assessment, which would begin in 2025. The company also says it will conduct further engagement with local communities.